India’s Narcos moment: More kids drawn to drugs, cases involving juveniles rise

In the last decade, there has been a 74 per cent rise in overall cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In the same period, the number of cases involving juveniles has more than doubled.

The drug menace ailing India has once again become the talk of the town following some high-profile arrests on charges of consumption and possession of narcotic substances aboard a luxury cruise off Mumbai.

However, what is alarming is the fact that drug cases involving children and adolescents have also registered a spike in the last 10 years. As against 74 per cent rise in overall cases in the last decade under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the number of such cases involving juveniles has more than doubled in the same period, albeit from a low base.